Changes

Diagnostic radiology are mainly applied in the areas: (1) Digital general radiology (DR); (2) Mammography; (3) Fluoroscopy systems; (4) Mobile radiography and fluoroscopy; (5) Bone density scan (DXA); (6) Computed tomography (CT); (7) Conventional tomography and tomosynthesis; (8) Dental radiography / CBCT; (9) Nuclear medicine including hybrid imaging (SPECT/CT, PET/CT, PET/MRI); (10) Cardiology; (11) Neuroradiology; and (12) Paediatrics.

==Interventional Procedures==

Interventions are usually guided by fluoroscopy. Radiographic cine series or stored images from fluoroscopy are taken to document the outcome of diagnosis or treatment. Interventions can also be guided by computed tomography (CT) imaging, with images taken while the interventionalist steps behind a shield or out of the room, or by CT fluoroscopy, in which the interventionalist stays at the patient for obtaining images during device manipulation.

==Radiation Therapy==

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==Nuclear Medicine==

A patient undergoing nuclear medicine imaging or treatment becomes a radiation source and remains “radioactive” after the radiopharmaceutical has been administered. Radiation protection advice depends on the specific radioisotope and its radiopharmaceutical form administered and whether the procedure is diagnostic or therapeutic. However, the general principles of the ICRP system of radiological protection apply in nuclear medicine as they do for other medical imaging modalities using ionising radiation. In addition [[ICRP Publication 52]] Protection of the Patient in Nuclear Medicine (and Statement from the 1987 Como Meeting of ICRP) and [[ICRP Publication 94]] Release of Patients after Therapy with Unsealed Radionuclides provide recommendations and guidance on the protection and release of patients after therapy with unsealed radionuclides (e.g. post 131 Iodine therapy for thyroid cancer), and [[ICRP Publication 128]] Radiation Dose to Patients from Radiopharmaceuticals: A Compendium of Current Information Related to Frequently Used Substances provides dose coefficients to patients from radiopharmaceuticals.

==Biomedical Research==

Studies involving radiation exposure of patients adds another level of risk that must be evaluated by an institutional ethics review board with assistance of a radiation expert or radiation safety committee. In all investigations involving exposure of humans, a careful estimation of the radiation dose to the patients or volunteers should be made. The associated risks should then be weighted against the benefits for the patients or the society when volunteers are involved. A reasonable alternative is the ex-vivo exposure of tumor specimen, human blood or skin samples obtained from patients or healthy volunteers, to avoid the hazard of radiation exposure. Approval by an institutional ethics review board or human studies committee must be obtained prior to conducting human subject research. The researchers' role is to conduct their research ethically while maximizing benefits to the society and minimizing harm to the participants. ICRP has provided recommendations in the guidance [[ICRP Publication 105]] Radiological Protection in Medicine and a previous [[ICRP Publication 62]] Radiological Protection in Biomedical Research.

ICRP has recently established a task group (TG110) to develop recommendations on the protection of veterinary patients, veterinarians and their co-workers, animal owners and handlers providing care to the patients or comforting them. Radiation exposures to the veterinarians and their co-workers, as well as owners and handlers of the animal can be very different. Radiation dose resulting from a single examination is typically very low, but veterinarians and their co-workers performing multiple examinations may receive non-negligible dose. Some applications that are newer in veterinary medicine, such as CT-scanning, interventional radiology procedures, nuclear medicine diagnostic procedures and radiotherapy procedures, have the potential to cause much higher exposures and should therefore be performed with explicit attention to radiation protection. In the case of nuclear medicine procedures and the use of small implantable radioactive sources for radiotherapy purposes, radioactive substances and objects may be spread outside of the veterinary clinics and thus become an additional risk factor in the human environment.

==More In-Depth Information==

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==References==

Yoon, H., Shah, K., Small, W. Jr., Mehta, M., Hayes, J., Chapter 1: Basic Concepts of Clinical Radiation Oncology. In: Clinical Radiation Oncology, 3e. Small, W. Jr., (ed): John Wiley & Sons, 2017, pp. 3-14.

[[File:ICRPGuide.JPG|50px|link=Guide_to_Radiological_Protection_in_Healthcare_(demo)]]Take me back to the ICRP's [[Guide_to_Radiological_Protection_in_Healthcare_(demo)|Guide to Radiological Protection in Healthcare]]!